In 1935 sculptor Isamu Noguchi designed this swimming pool for film director Josef von Sternberg's home. Just large enough for two people, the pool he imagined would include many ways to be in or near the water. On one side the water could flow down a ramp, while another area would allow visitors to be completely dry and in the sun. A third part of the pool would be deep enough for swimming. Though his pool was never built, this bronze sculpture is an example of the artist's inventive use of shape and function. Noguchi's interest in making sculptures that were also useful objects led him to design playground equipment, parks, and plazas.

The Artwork of the Month is part of the Walker Art Center's "New
Definitions/New Audiences" initiative. This museum-wide project
to engage visitors in a reexamination of 20th-century art is made possible
by the Lila Wallace-Reader's Digest Fund.